Just in time for Christmas, former Fox News TV and radio host, political commentator, filmmaker, and new media mogul Glenn Beck shares the books he’s been reading and giving to staffers this holiday season for insight as he grows his news and entertainment hub The Blaze.

The libertarian entrepeneur is charging ahead with several film and TV projects through his Dallas-based American Dream Labs, including the Disney-inspired animation hybrid series History House and Voltage, about the conflict between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Here are six hot reads fueling Beck as he continues building his multimedia empire.

How Google Works by Eric Schmidt (Grand Central Publishing)
“I am not sure how much I can learn from Google as they are really a group that makes almost all of their money in ways none of us can – a search engine. These two men are worth listening to and mining their minds.”

The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann (Portfolio Hardcover)
“This little book is one I gave to all of my employees for the holiday break. If we could retool capitalism to fit this mold, the world would be a much, MUCH better place.”

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Knopf)
“Far superior to the movie. Beautiful and epic.”

Constantine’s Sword by James Carroll (Mariner Books)
“A fascinating reexamination of everything I thought I knew about history. It is important for Christians to see the world from a set of eyes that are very different than what we may be used to. If we could all put more emphases on compassion and empathy maybe we could move the human ball further down the field.”

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters (Crown Business)
“Peter is one of the most complex and fascinating men I have ever met. He is clear, logical, passionate about all the right things. His dispassionate side, logical, keeps him even keeled. There is one concept in this book that led me to make some fairly sweeping changes in my own company this year.”

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (Avon)
“Reading it to understand the mind of Peter Theil.”